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Bumps For Boomers - Aspen

BlizzardBabe

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Never too early to start thinking about next season. I'm seriously thinking of doing Bumps For Boomers as early in the season as I can. Has anyone done this program? Pros and/or Cons?

Does anyone know of any good women's clinics? Western locales are easier for me than New England. Utah is the absolute easiest commute.

Thanx all!!
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
I like your thinking. I'm on the east coast, so I'll be looking here, but I want to do the same! With three kids in college, I'll certainly have the time...not so sure about the money, though.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I'm seriously thinking of doing Bumps For Boomers as early in the season as I can. Has anyone done this program? Pros and/or Cons?
Are you thinking December before Christmas or the first half of January?

It's been a while since I read all the material on the Bumps for Boomers website about their clinics. I found Boomers when I was looking for ski conditioning exercises in 2012. My sense was that the clinics were pretty high priced. Wasn't too sure about the idea of starting with really short skis. Also not a fan of full-day lessons.

I have no doubt that a Boomers clinic could be useful. But I'd be more inclined to consider the early season camps at Alta or Grand Targhee or even a Taos Ski Week. Jackson Hole has had a Women's Elevate camp in mid-January. Wouldn't book in advance though. Be more likely to block out a week in early Dec or early Jan and then see where the snow flies.
 

bsskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My brother-in-law did this years’ mid-December Bumps for Boomers in Aspen. I think he was there a full week and they did have snow.

We all remarked how absolutely beautiful he was skiing this season. In short, he’s a lower intermediate and got ALOT out of the course for the high price tag.
 

BlizzardBabe

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm thinking early/mid December. It certainly is pricey; that's why I'm looking for feedback. I specifically want a bumps clinic.

I've never done a women's clinic or a "fear" clinic, so I'm just curious about those.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Bumps for Boomers has a ton of information online. If you google it, I bet you'll find stuff. You'll also find videos on youTube or Vimeo of participants skiing black bumps at the end of the program. Internet searching is worth the time if you're thinking of registering for the program and aren't casual about spending the $$.

I've taken two bump clinics, neither of them Bumps-for-Boomers. They were both two-day affairs, and not worth the money. I'm a harsh critic of ski camps, as most of the ones I've attended did not come through on their promises.

B4B is carefully constructed to teach intermediates to ski bumps who are chronically aft and who don't have upper-body-lower-body-separation yet. I think they succeed. They use the short skis to get people centered, and they don't bother trying to get people to ski with separation (because it's very hard to teach and takes time). It sounds like a nurturing week to me, one that gets intermediates with deeply embedded and hard-to-change intermediate skills onto black bumps by the end of the week without a whole lotta stress. These are soft Aspen bumps, not New England ice bumps, mind you.

That opinion right there that I just wrote comes not from participation, but from a summer's worth of internet searches about how the Bumps-for-Boomers program is taught. Participants love it, and return year after year for more. There are advanced clinics, too.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Bumps for Boomers has a ton of information online. If you google it, I bet you'll find stuff. You'll also find videos on youTube or Vimeo of participants skiing black bumps at the end of the program. Internet searching is worth the time if you're thinking of registering for the program and aren't casual about spending the $$.

I've taken two bump clinics, neither of them Bumps-for-Boomers. They were both two-day affairs, and not worth the money. I'm a harsh critic of ski camps, as most of the ones I've attended did not come through on their promises.

B4B is carefully constructed to teach intermediates to ski bumps who are chronically aft and who don't have upper-body-lower-body-separation yet. I think they succeed. They use the short skis to get people centered, and they don't bother trying to get people to ski with separation (because it's very hard to teach and takes time). It sounds like a nurturing week to me, one that gets intermediates with deeply embedded and hard-to-change intermediate skills onto black bumps by the end of the week without a whole lotta stress. These are soft Aspen bumps, not New England ice bumps, mind you.

That opinion right there that I just wrote comes not from participation, but from a summer's worth of internet searches about how the Bumps-for-Boomers program is taught. Participants love it, and return year after year for more. There are advanced clinics, too.


Not to derail the thread, and I can start a new one if more applicable.. @liquidfeet just wondered if you have heard anything good or bad on the MRG bump clinics. I’m thinking about doing one in a couple of weeks (depending on snow), it’s a 4 hr thing, so certainly not as comprehensive I’m sure.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Dunno, @MissySki. You could call. The issue I ran into was being overterrained, and being asked by the leaders to do what they did as they skied the zipper line. I was NOT in an advanced class, and could not do what they did. The leaders simply didn't know how to break things down into baby steps, and they didn't take us to easy enough bumps to work on our skills. One just never knows how such things will be taught. But MRG is a bump lover's place, so they ought to know how to do this.

But you say 4 hours. Is that 2 hrs in the am and 2 hrs in the pm? How big are the groups?
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Dunno, @MissySki. You could call. The issue I ran into was being overterrained, and being asked by the leaders to do what they did as they skied the zipper line. I was NOT in an advanced class, and could not do what they did. The leaders simply didn't know how to break things down into baby steps, and they didn't take us to easy enough bumps to work on our skills. One just never knows how such things will be taught. But MRG is a bump lover's place, so they ought to know how to do this.

But you say 4 hours. Is that 2 hrs in the am and 2 hrs in the pm? How big are the groups?

It is 2 hours before and then 2 hours after lunch, yes. They say they use the first portion to assess your abilities and introduce their bump philosophy, and then the second portion is to “focus on becoming the type of all mountain skier you want to be”. They say they teach a method that is supposed to be easier on the body so you can ski them your whole life. It’s a minimum if 2 people and max of 4. Just wasn’t sure if you had heard anything through the grapevine, but that was my hope as well that they should be good at teaching people to ski their terrain that they are so well known for.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I'm thinking early/mid December. It certainly is pricey; that's why I'm looking for feedback. I specifically want a bumps clinic.
Do you want a group lesson? Looking at the prices for private lessons at Targhee and Bridger, could create your own program. The only issue for early season is what level of bump terrain would be available.

I did a 3-hour semi-private lesson with my ski buddy Bill at Bridger in Feb. Worked with Ric Blevins, who I worked with in 2012 and 2013. It was interesting to get a different approach compared to what the instructors at Taos emphasize for the advanced groups that Bill and I have been in the last few seasons. The ultimate objectives are the same. But what Ric chose to focus on that morning, and the questions he asked to make sure we understood the reason behind a specific drill, was useful. The "adventure run" we did with Ric was a Bridger double-black. Not as long as Taos double-blacks but certainly included a steep section that was pretty much the same pitch. Plenty of bumps off the Bridger lift, as well as in the South Bowl.

Ric's teaching style has some common elements with Walter's approach. But Ric has 40 years of experience skiing Bridger (2000 acres), and 20 years teaching on that terrain. He's a Ridge guide and instructor trainer. Ric has far more experience teaching advanced lessons than Walter as a result.
 

BlizzardBabe

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanx @marzNC . I'll likely be traveling solo, so even at a reasonably priced resort I'd likely end up spending more $$$ for a series of private lessons than I would for the 4-day B4B. This is one of the reasons I'm considering it. I'm looking for a multi-day intensive program. Killington has a 2-day bumps clinic but I don't know if they run it in the early season. I've inquired, though.

Thanx for the vids @Dtrick924 . I've watched them before but they are always useful.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That would be great. I am very interested in how they teach. I've tried their approach on our ice bumps; it works. The "drifting" between turns doesn't work as easily as it would in soft snow, though. More precision is called for.
 

Skier31

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am friends with several of the BfB instructors. If you have specific questions, let me know.

I think the key to bumps for many people is to have a starting point and a plan. Once you can “get down them”, you have the opportunity to refine your skills.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
That would be great. I am very interested in how they teach. I've tried their approach on our ice bumps; it works. The "drifting" between turns doesn't work as easily as it would in soft snow, though. More precision is called for.
Completely agree that learning to ski bumps in soft snow in the Rockies only goes so far when it comes to New England ice bumps. Meaning frozen bumps with visible ice on the backside, and perhaps a little loose snow on top. I wandered into bumps on the sides of groomers at Stratton, Sunapee, and Waterville Valley last week. Did a few and opted out. Didn't even bother to wander into the black bumps at Wachusett last Thursday (before the rain/freeze). There were a few regulars at Wachusett who could ski those effectively, but not many.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Completely agree that learning to ski bumps in soft snow in the Rockies only goes so far when it comes to New England ice bumps. Meaning frozen bumps with visible ice on the backside, and perhaps a little loose snow on top. I wandered into bumps on the sides of groomers at Stratton, Sunapee, and Waterville Valley last week. Did a few and opted out. Didn't even bother to wander into the black bumps at Wachusett last Thursday (before the rain/freeze). There were a few regulars at Wachusett who could ski those effectively, but not many.

We went into bumps at Sunapee during the clinic, they weren’t bad. Once they softened up after lunch they were really nice though!

The ones at Wachusett always seem to be hard as a rock the few times I’ve poked around in them.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
We went into bumps at Sunapee during the clinic, they weren’t bad. Once they softened up after lunch they were really nice though!

The ones at Wachusett always seem to be hard as a rock the few times I’ve poked around in them.
Glad you had fun on those bumps! If I lived in the northeast, I'd be more inclined to work towards having fun on frozen bumps. But I'm a bit too spoiled given that most of my skiing off-piste is out west. :smile:
 

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